


Jealousy

by Zorro_sci



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Betting, Budding Romance, Cap has a crush, Fury phone, M/M, Natasha is scary observant, confused!Bruce Banner, flirtatious!Tony Stark, jealous!Steve Rogers, steve isn't a beacon of integrity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-12
Updated: 2014-07-12
Packaged: 2018-02-08 13:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 7,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1943688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zorro_sci/pseuds/Zorro_sci
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve Rogers liked Bruce Banner from the moment he met him.  Unfortunately for him so did a certain genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At First Sight

When Steve first met Bruce on the Helicarrier he felt an immediate connection. Here was another man who understood the burden of the serum, even if it had affected him differently. More than that, even despite all the bad things that had happened to him he was still trying to help others in slums and war zones, and he had a sense of humor about his situation, though admittedly a dark one.

As Dr. Banner started to work, Steve was awed. The man was brilliant, and when he was doing science he looked so at home. He was in his element and his self-assured actions, (especially in light of his fidgeting nervousness earlier), were so graceful, even beautiful. He found he couldn't keep his eyes off of the physicist, and his gorgeous, dark, curly locks. And his adorable habit of taking his glasses on and off only made it harder not to stare. Plus, the shy smile that Bruce gave him each time he asked how things were going or if he could help melted his heart.

He had finally worked up the courage to say something, and was on his way back to the lab, when he was told to report to the Quinjet to go after Loki with Black Widow. He sighed and followed orders. It would have to wait.


	2. Enter Iron Man

Iron Man showing up to help had been a relief, even if he had been a little too showy. He still got the job done, and Steve was more than a little excited to meet him. He knew he was Howard's son, and Howard had been a friend. He hoped that Tony would be too.

That hoped lasted about five minutes. Then Steve realized that the younger Stark was arrogant, annoying, and anything but a team player. He was also an insufferable know-it-all. Being smart was one thing, but shoving in everyone else's face how much smarter than them you were was unnecessary. It made the trip back to the Helicarrier seem at least twice as long.

Once they got back and reported to the conference room, Stark continued with his same old crap. He rambled and threw around technical terms that no one could follow and scolded them like they were children for not doing their "homework".

Steve had had just about enough and was about to say something when Bruce spoke up; throwing the technical jargon back at Tony fluidly without missing a beat. Internally Steve beamed with pride. In his own gentle, unassuming way Bruce was showing Tony that he wasn't the only smart person in the room. That ought to show Stark.

Steve's satisfaction was cut short when he realized that instead of being embarrassed or upset Tony was looking at Bruce like he was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. The engineer's eyes had lit up and his voice had sped up with excitement as he countered Bruce's point in language that only the two of them could understand. The two continued back and forth while the others could do little more than watch. Suddenly, Steve felt very left out and when Stark made a comment about how Bruce "spoke English" he couldn't help the sarcastic response that fell out of his mouth, (or the burn of anger he felt a few seconds later when Stark made a snarky comment about Bruce being a rage monster that clearly made the doctor uncomfortable).

Before he knew it, Stark was heading off to the lab with Bruce, and he could have sworn he'd heard Bruce laughing as they walked down the hall. Actually laughing, not the nervous half-chuckle that he had used so often since arriving. 

"They certainly hit it off well," Natasha commented as the two scientists made their way down the hall.

"They're just getting on with the work because they know it's necessary," Steve commented coolly as he felt a stab of jealousy course through him. 

He had tried so hard to connect with Dr. Banner, but then Stark had swooped in acting like a superior know-it-all, insulting Bruce, and yet somehow he managed to connect with him more deeply in two minutes than Steve had managed in two hours.

"Maybe," Natasha said doubtfully. "But I worked for Stark on one of my missions, and he hates being handed things or shaking people's hands. Shaking Banner's hand was a huge display of trust for Stark, and he doesn't trust many people."

"I'm going to go change," Steve said as he got up to walk away.

"What is troubling the good Captain?" Thor asked, confused by Steve's sudden departure.

"I think Cap's got a crush," Natasha responded with a smirk.


	3. Tripping Over my Words

Steve walked by the lab on his way to the cargo hold. He couldn't help but look through the windows as he passed by. The pair of scientists seemed to be very comfortable with each other. Probably talking about some technical scientific things that Steve could never hope to understand.

He was about to turn away and continue his journey when he noticed that Stark had said something, and now Bruce was shifting uncomfortably and looking down in embarrassment. Stark seemed not to notice or care about this development. He continued to advance on the fidgety physicist; talking at a rapid clip.

Steve couldn't help it. If Stark was making Bruce uncomfortable he needed to say something. He walked through the lab door and was about to announce his presence when Stark poked Banner in the side with some sort of electrical probe.

"Hey, are you nuts?!?" he shouted.

He couldn't help it. Who did Stark think that he was!?! This was not a playground, and they were not children. He had no right to be prodding the other scientist, and if he triggered the Hulk there would be serious consequences. Not the least of which was that the gentle physicist would hate himself for losing control; even if they were lucky to avoid the Hulk doing serious damage. It had become very clear in the short time that Steve had known him that he carried the weight of each bit of destruction his greener self had done.

To Steve's further annoyance, Stark just brushed him off and continued teasing Bruce. Considering the number of years Bruce had clearly spent trying to come to terms with the Hulk, this hardly seemed appropriate. 

"Is everything a joke to you?!?" Steve spat at him.

Stark brushed him off with another quip and Steve's blood boiled. He just didn't seem to understand the implications of what he was doing.

"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny," he lectured, then he realized how that must have sounded to Bruce and quickly added, "No offense, Doc."

Bruce shrugged it off and made a joke directed back at Stark, and Stark returned to ribbing the doctor. 

Still quite annoyed, Steve pointedly suggested that Stark focus on his work which led to Tony taking a tangent about Fury, getting Bruce to take his side, and telling Steve he wasn't needed. Steve gave up and left, more than a little annoyed by the whole incident.

How had it all gone so badly? He had been trying to defend Bruce against a man who seemed to be a clear bully, but somehow he had ended up looking like the bad guy. He cast one last look at the lab and saw the scientists working in perfect tandem again, seemingly relaxed and happy in each other's presence.


	4. Take Some Time to Clear My Head

Soon bigger things, like saving the world, interrupted Stark and Rogers' feud. They put their differences aside and worked as a team, and everything seemed to come together. The Avengers seemed like a viable unit, but then Loki left and they went their separate ways, and Steve noted with a small pang that Bruce decided to go with Stark. Still, maybe it was for the best. Stark could provide him with a home that wasn't a barrack, a lab, work as a scientist, and countless things that Steve couldn't.

It had all worked out the way it should, so Steve told himself as he took off on the old motorcycle that Bruce had ridden into the battle. He needed distance to clear his head. Then everything would be fine.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

In Stark Tower, Bruce and Tony were getting along like a house on fire. They spent hours together in the lab, and when they actually surfaced long enough to eat they shared take out or Bruce cooked. They also enjoyed watching bad science fiction movies together and laughing at them. 

They were fast friends, and Bruce wondered if they might be something more. Tony certainly flirted enough, but he was far from sure that meant anything. Tony seemed to be quite a flirtatious person in general, and he was unwilling to risk their friendship by asking for more. No matter how attracted he was to Tony.

Unbeknownst to Bruce, Tony was also wondering if he and Bruce might be more than friends. He certainly wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with the other scientist, but Bruce had just finally come out of his shell. It hadn't been easy to get the other man to relax, and he didn't want to risk making Bruce uptight around him, or worse chasing him to run away to some remote corner of the globe by asking for more than Bruce was willing to give.


	5. Of Cooking and Crushes

Slowly the other Avengers came to live at the newly dubbed Avengers' Tower. First Clint, hoping to escape the SHIELD barracks, then Natasha, and finally Steve, (there was an open invitation for Thor, but he was busy on Asgard).

Steve had enjoyed his road trip, but it had left him craving companionship, and he was hoping that the team would be able to come together and form a surrogate family. To that end, he suggested that they have a team dinner the night he arrived. What he didn't expect was that when he entered the common floor kitchen that Bruce would already be hard at work cooking dinner.

"I didn't know you could cook, doc," he commented as he entered the kitchen.

"I used to cook with my mom. Then in college being able to cook was a real money-saver. I even had other students offer to buy the groceries if I cooked for them," Bruce said with a faint smile. His face contorted into a grimace, "and when you're a fugitive on the run it's kind of a necessity."

Steve nodded, unsure how else to respond. He paused a beat and then spoke up again.

"Need any help?"

"Sure. Do you want to start making the garlic bread? I have the spaghetti under control."

"Alright."

"Thanks."

The two continued to work on their assigned tasks in silence, but it was far from an uncomfortable silence. It was companionable, and Steve reveled in the ease with which they worked side by side as they finished preparing the meal and setting the table.

Everyone got along well enough as they ate. They engaged in small talk about what each of them had been doing lately, and at times they just ate in comfortable silence, but the comradery was unmistakeable. It was all that Steve had hoped for . . . And perhaps more he couldn't help but think as he stole another glance at Bruce.

Steve had thought distance would help, but each time he looked at the physicist he couldn't help but notice his adorable messy curls and heart-melting half-smile. In short, he wasn't over his crush on Bruce; not by a long shot. Furthermore, now he knew he and Bruce had something in common. He only hoped they'd end up cooking together more often.

Unfortunately, Steve was so busy thinking about the possibility of making breakfast with Bruce the following morning that he missed the resident engineer pulling the object of his reverie into the lab. When Steve turned to suggest a team breakfast of omelets, he found an empty chair where Bruce had been. He sighed, and turned his gaze to Clint, who was the only other person left at the table, (it was Natasha's turn to do dishes).

"Looks like those two couldn't wait to get back to the lab," he commented.

"Are you kidding? If they didn't need to eat and sleep to survive I don't think they'd ever leave," Clint commented with a snort.

"What exactly are they doing down there?" Steve asked trying to keep his tone only mildly curious.

"Tony calls it 'top secret science bro work,' but they mainly work on the suit and whatever SHIELD contracts them to do. Tony also still does work in arc reactor technology for his company, and Bruce has side projects. Plus, I've heard they're close to inventing a teleportation device that they started designing on a whim," Clint commented.

"So they work all the time?" Steve questioned.

"Pretty much," Clint answered. "What can I say? Neither of them has much of a life. Outside of their lab work Tony goes to business meetings, tinkers with cars and other machines while blasting rock music, and occasionally attends benefits that Pepper makes him go to. And Bruce cooks, reads, and meditates. Neither of them are all that fascinating."

"Pepper? Is she Stark's girl?" 

"No, she used to his personal assistant, but he made her the CEO of Stark Industries about a year ago. She's been really good for the business. She runs a really tight ship and she knows how to keep Stark in line. I heard they tried dating a while back, but didn't get too far. I don't imagine he'd get much past the first few dates with anyone given his reputation as a playboy."

"Same old Stark," Steve muttered beneath his breath simultaneously annoyed by Tony's behavior and relieved that it appeared that Tony and Bruce weren't together.

"I'm not so sure," Natasha commented from the other room.

"What do you mean?" Steve questioned, hoping that Natasha wasn't about to say what he thought she was.

"I mean when I worked for him I was escorting a new conquest out for him almost every morning. I don't think I've seen a single stranger leaving Stark's bedroom since I moved in. Not to mention instead of flirting with everything that moves his flirting seems to be a lot more targeted," she explained.

"What, Dr. Banner?" Clint asked dismissively. "I think Stark just does that for kicks. He loves making him blush. Besides, even if he did mean it, he and Banner are definitely in the friend zone now. They've lived together for six months. If Stark hasn't made a move yet he's probably lost his chance. That is if Banner were ever interested in the first place; which I don't think he was."

Steve had heard about all he could take, so he got up abruptly from the table and left the room. He was grateful that Stark and Bruce hadn't kindled something in his absence, but knowing that Stark was probably interested in the other scientist filled him with jealousy. A jealousy that seemed to have only gotten worse with the time he had spent separated from his fellow Avengers.

"Does that mean what I think it does?" Clint asked Natasha as he watched Steve's retreating form.

"Yep. Cap still has it bad for Banner," Natasha confirmed.

"But you think Tony is still interested in Bruce too?" Clint questioned.

"Definitely, and Bruce is a little harder to read, but I think he might be interested in Stark," the redhead commented.

"Either way, Bruce is about to get a lot of unwanted attention," Clint stated.

Natasha agreed with a nod.

"So how far do you think he'll go?" Clint asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Natasha peered at Clint and raised an eyebrow.

"Captain Virtue. How far do you think he'll go to try and 'win' Bruce? He clearly has it bad. And with that determined look on his face when he left? I'm betting he might break a few of his rules to try and take Stark down a few pegs," Clint explained with too much school boy glee in his voice.

Natasha smirked, and a new complicated series of bets were arranged between the two spies.


	6. Omelets and Flirting

Steve was surprised and pleased when he found Bruce in the kitchen the following morning. 

"I didn't think I'd see anyone else up this early," he commented.

"I've found that yoga in the morning keeps me . . . .calmer," Bruce replied as he removed the whistling tea kettle from the stove.

"I hear you. I sometimes think I wouldn't make it through the day without my morning run. It helps keep me focused on the present," Steve commiserated. 

Bruce caught his eye with a sympathetic gaze. He was all too familiar with running away from memories that threatened to haunt his every waking moment.

Steve grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and joined the physicist at the table.

"I really enjoyed having your help in the kitchen last night. I usually cook alone, and it can get a little tedious. Having someone to work with and talk to made it a lot more fun," Bruce commented when silence fell over the pair.

"I really liked it too," Steve agreed. "Maybe we should cook together more often."

"Sounds good to me."

"How about we start now? I make a pretty good omelet. I could give you some tips."

"Really? I've been told my omelets are without compare."

"Is that so? Would you like to have a little competition?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Team taste-test? They decide which one they like better."

"You're on."

They each took out a frying pan and the necessary ingredients and got to work. 

"Do I smell omelets?" Tony asked as he walked into the kitchen, still dressed in a tank top and sweatpants.

"Yes," Bruce answered as he finished with the omelet in the pan and put it on a plate for Tony.

"Oh Brucie Bear, you're an angel. And you made my favorite," Tony gushed as he took the plate.

"Hey, are you trying to bribe the judge?" Steve joked.

"So maybe I noticed that JARVIS turned the coffee maker on, and I knew Tony was coming," Bruce replied innocently.

"What are you two talking about?" Tony asked with his mouth full.

"Steve and I are trying to figure out who makes a better omelet. We're asking you, Clint and Natasha to judge," Bruce explained.

"Well, I recuse myself as a judge. I am far too biased. I think Bruce makes the best food in the world. He's a genius in the lab and the kitchen," Tony enthused. "In fact, he's a genius pretty much everywhere. The only room in which I cannot confirm his genius is the bedroom, but if he's half as good there as he is everywhere else I can't believe he doesn't have a line of people wrapped around the building wanting him. I mean a gorgeous, genius scientist and sometimes medical doctor who can cook and is good in the sack? Who wouldn't want him? He'd be a huge catch."

Bruce's cheeks flushed crimson and Steve found himself turning his back to the other two men so they wouldn't notice how upset he was by Tony's brazen words.

"He's also really cute when he blushes," Tony added, smirking at the doctor's embarrassment.

"I'm glad you like the omelet," Bruce replied, ignoring the rest of the comments Tony had made.

"See you downstairs after breakfast wars are over?" Tony asked as he put his plate in the sink.

"Yeah, I'll be down as soon as we're done here. We still have to figure out how to maximize output from the newest model of the arc reactor," Bruce answered.

"Alright, see you then," Tony said as he headed for the elevator, he turned around and added with a wink, "I'll be waiting."

Bruce flushed again, but a fond smile played across his lips as he did.

Steve knew he shouldn't be angry about what had just happened. Bruce seemed just fine with Tony's teasing. But he couldn't get over how freely Tony was willing to flirt with Bruce and talk about him in an openly sexual manner. It seemed pretty brazen, and it obviously embarrassed the shy doctor, even if he didn't seem overly offended.

"Doesn't he bother you when he talks like that?" Steve asked, unable to keep the thought to himself.

"It's embarrassing, but I've had far worse," Bruce answered as the fond smile returned to his face.

"Just because other people have done worse doesn't make it okay," Steve countered.

"He's just being Tony. He doesn't mean anything by it, and I don't think he could stop acting like that if he tried," Bruce commented fondly. ( _And I wouldn't want him to be any different_ he added mentally).

Steve made some half-hearted comment about Tony certainly being a different sort of man, but his mind was elsewhere. Tony was clearly very comfortable with Bruce and with making his thoughts about the man very transparent, (even if Bruce was overthinking the whole thing and didn't realize how serious the billionaire was). Furthermore, even though Tony was behaving inappropriately Bruce wasn't bothered by it, but instead seemed to be fond of Tony's actions. 

He knew if there were a competition between him and Stark for Bruce's affection, Stark would be winning at the moment. Still, he was unwilling to give up. He couldn't stand the thought of gentle, kind and sweet Bruce with the rude, abrasive, and obnoxious Stark. Bruce deserved someone better than a man who went out of his way to purposefully make him uncomfortable. 

Steve was still fuming when Clint and Natasha entered the kitchen after their morning workout, and hardly noticed when Natasha picked Bruce's omelet as her favorite and Clint picked Steve's, leaving himself and Bruce tied.

"Well . . I guess we'll never know," Bruce sighed.

"Never know what?" Steve asked, drawn out of his thoughts by Bruce's voice.

"Never know who makes a better omelet. We tied, and Tony recused himself so there's no deciding vote," Bruce explained.

"Oh, that. Well, I'm happy to call it a tie. Your omelet is pretty good," Steve said as he tasted a bit of Bruce's omelet.

"Thanks. I guess that works for me too," Bruce commented as he finished his breakfast.


	7. An Idea

Later that night the team assembled in the living room for movie night. Apparently the others had started this weekly tradition before Steve had joined them. He had to admit that it sounded like fun, and he was more than a little excited to join them.

His enthusiasm waned significantly when he watched as Bruce enter the room and took a seat next to Tony, who was wildly gesturing for the other scientist's attention from the love seat.

He tried very hard not to frown or let his annoyance show on his face, but it was made even more difficult when Stark threw an arm over Bruce's shoulder and practically draped himself over the other man. The billionaire acted as if there was no such thing as personal space when he was around Bruce, and it was infuriating. It was bordering on harassment towards the quiet, mild-mannered physicist, not that Bruce would ever say anything. 

Wait . . . .that gave Steve an idea. He pointedly avoided looking at the pair of scientists throughout the rest of the night. (Which was no easy feat, since Tony kept snuggling into Bruce's shoulder and whispering what Steve could only assume were snarky comments into Bruce's ear). Meanwhile, he hardly paid attention to the movie because he was forming a plan. A plan that just might put an end to all of Stark's disgraceful, (and flirtatious), behavior.


	8. Operation Stop the Flirting

Later that night Steve snuck down to Tony's workshop after Bruce had gone to bed. He was unsurprised to see the engineer still toiling away working on one of his new suits. It was common knowledge that Tony rarely slept.

Steve walked up to the door and knocked. A few moment's later Tony's voice sounded through a speaker near the door.

"What can I do for you, Cap?" He asked.

"Can you let me in? I'd like to talk to you," Steve asked, a little annoyed with having to talk to the man through the door.

"It's about Bruce," he added when several moments had passed with no reply from the billionaire.

"Come on in," Tony replied immediately.

Steve strode into the center of the workshop silently, which seemed to unnerve the other man.

"Is Bruce okay?" Tony asked nervously.

"He's fine, but I wanted to talk to you about the way you act around him," Steve started.

"Look Cap, it's not the forties. Two men can flirt, and I'm not changing my behavior because it makes you uncomfortable," the mechanic responded defensively.

"What if it makes Bruce uncomfortable?" Steve shot back.

"What?" Tony asked, shock clearly written over every feature of his face.

"You're making Bruce uncomfortable. He told me that you're always embarrassing him. I know you're just teasing him, but I don't think he likes it," he responded in his "Captain America" voice.

"Why wouldn't he say anything?" Tony questioned.

"Maybe he didn't want to offend you, or he was trying to avoid confrontation. Besides, he lives in your Tower and works for Stark Industries. You're essentially his landlord and his boss, so maybe he didn't think he should say anything," he speculated.

"Are you saying Bruce thinks I would evict him or fire him if he didn't let me flirt with him? I know I've had some sexual harassment complaints levied against me before, but I wouldn't do that to him," Tony said incredulously.

"He didn't say that, but I think it might have been a factor. Think about what people have done to him in the past if he didn't let them have their way," Steve offered.

Tony suddenly felt awful. If Bruce was truly uncomfortable and unwilling to tell him because he was afraid of what he would do to him that was terrible. The thought that that might even possibly be the case made him feel a little sick. He knew how people in Bruce's past had mistreated him, and he didn't want any part of any of that. If he was truly bothering Bruce that much he would stop, he resolved that right then and there.

"Thank you for telling me, Cap. I'll keep that in mind," Tony said as neutrally as he could manage, but on the inside he was crumbling, feeling duly chastised by the implication of Steve's words.


	9. Unexpected Side-Effects

Steve noticed with no small sense of satisfaction that Stark stopped invading Bruce's space, stopped using cutesy or suggestive nicknames, and in general only spoke in a professional manner with the other scientist. They still worked together in the lab, but outside of the lab Tony gave Bruce his space.

Unfortunately, after a couple of weeks Steve began to notice that Bruce seemed more and more withdrawn. Something was clearly bothering the physicist, but he wasn't talking about it, and spending more and more of the time he wasn't working alone. Finally, one night while he and Bruce were working together to prepare the team meal, Steve inquired about the other man's recent change in mood.

"Bruce, you seem like something's been bothering you lately. We hardly see you anymore. Do you want to talk about it?" 

"No, I'm fine," Bruce responded neutrally.

Steve raised an eyebrow at the physicist.

"Okay, I've been a little moody, but it's nothing. It's really silly," he conceded.

"It's not silly if it's bothering you," Steve offered.

"It's just . . . It's Tony," Bruce revealed.

"What did he do this time?" Steve asked wearily.

"Well, nothing exactly. He's just been acting really weird around me. It's almost like he's avoiding me. And he doesn't joke around and tease me like he used to," the doctor explained.

"You're upset that he's not teasing you?" 

"A little," Bruce confessed. "Before when he teased me I thought . . ."

"You thought?" Steve prompted.

"I thought he might be interested in me. I wasn't sure enough to say anything, but when he used to flirt with me I thought he might actually want more than friendship with me. It's silly, I know, but now he hardly acts like he wants to be my friend, much less anything more," Bruce elaborated.

"I'm sorry Bruce. That has to be hard. But on the bright side, now you know where you stand with him," Steve consoled.

"I guess," the doctor replied deflatedly.

"Besides, if it had gone somewhere it's not too likely it would have lasted. You know Tony's reputation for being a playboy as well as I do. No offense to him, but he's one of the most fickle men I know," the captain tried to comfort.

"I just . . . . I thought that things would be different between us. Probably just more silliness, but Tony seemed to have stopped his incessant flirting with everyone on the planet and seemed focused on me. Maybe I was wrong, and I just wanted that to be true, but I thought it meant something," Bruce confided. "Now it seems like I was wrong, or Tony moved on. I'm just disappointed, which is ridiculous, because how can you miss something you never had?"

"Exactly. You're better off Bruce. Believe me," he said flashing his show-stopping smile.

Truth be told he felt a little bad. He knew he was no small part of the reason that Tony had modified his behavior toward the other man, but he told himself it was for the best. Stark had never had a lasting relationship, and he probably would have dumped Bruce before long just like all the countless others he had left in his wake. All Steve had really done was spare the good doctor from the inevitable heartache that would have followed any attempt at a relationship with Tony Stark. At least that was what he had to believe.


	10. Steve is Found Out

Bruce grew more and more withdrawn over the next couple of weeks. Each time Tony seemed to avoid him he spent less and less time with the group. Eventually, he could stand the tension no longer so he packed his bag and prepared to leave in the middle of the night while the other Avengers slept.

Unfortunately for Bruce, one resident of the Tower never slept. He was also everywhere all the time.

"Sir," JARVIS intoned.

"What?" Tony groaned. 

He had just climbed into bed, but he had been working for the better part of two days and he was exhausted.

"Dr. Banner has packed his bags and it appears that he means to leave the Tower, likely permanently," the AI informed.

Tony stiffened and felt a wave of sorrow wash over him, but with it he also felt a touch of inevitability.

"It was just a matter of time. He's already gone all but physically. I just don't understand. I was making him uncomfortable, I got my official warning from Captain Do-Gooder, and I backed off. But it didn't help. If anything it made things worse," Tony replied sadly.

"Sir, I think there is something you should see," JARVIS contributed.

A screen popped up in front of Tony with an image of Steve and Bruce in the kitchen.

_"Bruce, you seem like something's been bothering you lately. We hardly see you anymore. Do you want to talk about it?"_

_"No, I'm fine."_

_"Okay, I've been a little moody, but it's nothing. It's really silly."_

_"It's not silly if it's bothering you."_

_"It's just . . . It's Tony."_

Tony flinched and began to wonder why JARVIS was showing this to him. He knew he had screwed up. That was why Bruce was leaving. Why was he throwing that in his face? It wasn't normal behavior for the incredibly loyal AI.

_"What did he do this time?"_

_"Well, nothing exactly. He's just been acting really weird around me. It's almost like he's avoiding me. And he doesn't joke around and tease me like he used to . . ."_

Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had been led to believe that Bruce disliked his teasing. As he watched the rest of the clip he began to realize what had really happened, and that he needed to stop Bruce from leaving.

He jumped out of bed calling for JARVIS to tell him where Bruce was. Then he made his way to the elevator, and arrived on Bruce's floor to find him in the hall waiting for the elevator.

"Tony?" the doctor said in surprise.

"Bruce. Please don't leave. I really don't want you to leave. I like having you here. Please stay Brucey-bear," Tony rushed.

"Brucey-bear?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, I know you like the nicknames. JARVIS showed me the conversation you had with Steve in the kitchen," Tony replied, not thinking about what he was saying.

"You have JARVIS spying on me?" Bruce asked with a slight edge to his voice.

"No, but I was going to let you leave because I thought I did something wrong, and JARVIS showed me that so I would know what was going on," Tony explained.

"What?!?"

"Let me go back. I know I started acted differently, but that's only because . . .well, JARVIS show him the conversation I had with our dear leader in the lab."

"Yes sir," JARVIS intoned, and soon the space in front of them filled with a holographic video of the conversation that had taken place several weeks ago.

When the video ended Bruce was standing with his mouth agape, hardly able to believe what he'd just seen.

"See, I did start treating you differently, but it was because I thought I was bothering you. I was trying to respect your wishes. The last thing I would want to do is hurt you, because . . Well, because I actually care about you a lot. And yes, as more than a friend," Tony admitted.

Bruce was still too shocked to move, and his stillness was starting to make Tony nervous. Sure, Bruce had more or less said that he wanted a relationship with him to Steve a few weeks ago, but what if he didn't anymore?

He needn't have worried. As soon as Bruce recovered from his shock he caught Tony's lips in a slightly hesitant, but none-the-less passionate kiss.

"Well, I can now confirm that your genius extends to kissing," Tony commented as they pulled apart.

Bruce smiled shyly. 

"So what do we do now?" Tony asked.

"I don't know; a dinner date?" Bruce answered uncertainly.

"Us, dinner, certainly. Also lunch, breakfast, midnight snack . . . and dessert," Tony responded quickly, his tone sultry and eyebrows waggling on the last one. "I meant about O captain, our captain."

"What about him?" Bruce inquired in confusion.

"Well, if anybody but Captain Integrity had claimed to speak for you I would have ignored them, but I thought if he said it, it must be true. His less than upstanding pack of lies almost kept us apart. It almost made you leave the only place you've called home for more than a month in nearly a decade," Tony ranted. "I think we should teach Captain Pinocchio a lesson or two about messing with other people's lives."

"What did you have in mind?" Bruce asked, almost dreading the answer.

"A few things, but I'll need your help," Tony replied with a devious grin.


	11. Operation Revenge . . . For Science!

"Good morning, Fearless Leader," Tony said as he walked into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee.

Steve rolled his eyes, but returned the greeting.

"I haven't seen you out the of the lab for a while, Stark. Finally coming up for air?" Steve asked.

"Coffee. I'm out in the lab," he replied, raising his mug as he spoke. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but Fury won't leave me alone about this latest project, and as much as I'd love to ignore him, I find his incessant calling annoying, and it seems the only way to get rid of him is to do what he wants."

"What does he . . . " Steve started only to be interrupted by JARVIS.

"Sir, Director Fury is calling again."

"Bring him up on videophone," Tony sighed in exasperation as he rolled his eyes.

"Stark, have you made any progress? Banner has been in the wind for three days. If you don't get on this we're going to run out of options," Fury groused impatiently without preliminaries.

Steve tried to hide his shock. He wasn't aware that Bruce had left. He hadn't seen him in three or four days, but the man had been keeping more and more to himself, so it wasn't unusual for him to go close to a week without seeing him.

"Hulkbusters take time. Especially if you want them to work," Tony shot back with an equal level of impatience in his voice.

"Then you should be getting to work," Fury returned.

"I will. And it would help if you stopped calling me every hour," the engineer snarked.

"Just let me know when you've made progress," Fury sighed before cutting the call.

Steve stared at Tony, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"You're building Hulkbusters?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes. Fury has decided that's it's too dangerous for Ross to get a hold of Hulk. He figures if he studies him long enough he'll learn how to make more Hulks, so he's decided now that Brucie's on the run it's time that he gave him an ultimatum," Tony explained.

"What ultimatum is that?" Steve questioned warily.

"Come back to work for SHIELD or we'll kill you," Tony replied emotionlessly.

"What?!?" Steve cried. 

"It's pretty simple, Cap. The Hulk is too big a threat to have running around free, so he plays ball with them, or no one can have him," Tony commented matter-of-factly.

"I can't believe you would help them do that! Bruce is part of our team, and he's your friend! How could you be trying to build something that can kill him!?!" Steve scolded.

"It's pretty easy actually. See, we know that the angrier Hulk gets the stronger he gets, so I have to invent a weapon that calms him while it hurts him. So my new Hulkbusters fire an adrenaline suppressant and a couple dozen poisons, and then it explodes," Tony informed.

"I didn't mean logistically; I meant morally! How can you justify killing your friend!" Steve shouted indignantly.

"Well, first of all they'll only kill him if he refuses to come back, and second, Bruce is no friend of mine. See, I thought he was my friend, but friends don't keep secrets about how embarrassed they are about their friends actions and then tell some other person about all of it behind their friend's back. They also don't send the team captain to do their dirty work. If Bruce had really been my friend he would have just talked to me, but he never trusted me or cared enough to show me that respect. Why should I show him any respect now?" Tony stated dispassionately.

"Not telling you he didn't like a nickname and creating a weapon specifically designed to kill him don't seem like they're equal," Steve said in alarm.

"Well, I've always been an 'either you're with me or against me' type of guy, and Bruce clearly chose 'against' when he decided I was some sort of power-abusing, manipulative boss and landlord that he couldn't trust," Tony commented.

"But he didn't!" Steve shouted in desperation.

"He didn't what? Think I was manipulating him? Hide behind you because he didn't think he could come to me himself? You made it pretty clear in our little talk that he did," the billionaire shot back.

"I lied."

"What?!?"

"I lied. Bruce didn't say those things. He said that sometimes you embarrassed him but it didn't really bother him when I asked him about the pet names. I exaggerated because I thought it would make you stop flirting with him. Please don't hurt him because of something I did!"

"Why would you lie?"

"Because I have feelings for Dr. Banner. I've been trying to tell him since the Helicarrier, but each time I try there's something that stops me. Then, there you are talking at him with words that I can barely understand and teasing him like it's a schoolyard, and he somehow instantly connects with you. I was jealous, and I wanted you to back off, so I lied," Steve confessed looking down at the floor.

"Well, I guess Captain Perfect's not so perfect after all," Tony commented with a hint of gloating in his voice.

"No, I made a huge mistake, but _I_ made the mistake! It wasn't Bruce's fault! I'm sorry I did it. Please, just leave him alone," Steve begged.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Tony said neutrally.

"Why not?" Steve asked stricken.

"Because he and I have our first date tonight," Tony responded.

"What?!?"

"Well, truth is that Bruce never left the Tower. He almost did. He thought that I had just been toying with him and saw him as some sort of experiment that I got bored with, instead of as a friend, so he had been miserable for the last few weeks. He moped around until he decided he'd be better off alone in the middle of a war zone in a third world country than here. I had to run after him in the middle of the night last night and beg him to stay. But it worked and he stayed. 

Then when we were trying to figure out how things went wrong, we did a little digging and turns out all these problems between us came from the lies a certain captain told. Seemed only fair to give him a taste of his own medicine," Tony revealed.

"I guess that's fair," Steve said grudgingly. He wasn't sure that he agreed the two deceptions were in portion, but given that the pair seemed to have suffered for weeks because of his actions he decided he was in no position to argue. 

"One question, though. How did you get Fury to help you?"

"Oh, that. That wasn't Fury, that was Bruce using the Fury phone," Tony answered dismissively.

"Fury phone?" Steve asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. It's something Bruce and I invented last night. It's a phone that uses a database of video calls with Fury, advanced motion capture technology, and voice distortion technology to make the caller appear and sound like Director Fury," Tony explained as though that should be obvious.

"Oookay," Steve replied, unsure of what to make of the new technology, or that the pair of scientists had somehow managed to make it overnight. He decided at this point his best option was simply to walk away.

Satisfied that Steve had been properly chastised, at least for now, Tony made his way back to the lab to engage in his new favorite activity; kissing Bruce.


	12. To the Victor goes the Spoils

"It's all there," Clint said as he handed over a huge wad of cash to Natasha.

She grabbed the bills and proceeded to count them anyways.

"I can't believe I gave you such good odds. But 'Steve will lie to Tony first and then to Bruce who will mope for a few weeks before attempting to leave in the middle of the night causing Tony to stop him by coming clean about his feelings for him and then the pair of them will force the truth out of Steve using trickery and a new invention they created overnight' seemed too specific to be one hundred percent accurate," Clint grumbled.

"Maybe to an amateur," she scoffed.

He just shook his head and left her to count her winnings.


	13. Epilogue

Steve sighed when the video screen in his living room read 'call from Director Fury.' Tony and Bruce had been having too much fun with their new invention.

The first time might have been fair game given his deception, but since them they had sent him to Minneapolis claiming there were Purple People Eaters running around, (apparently that was a nickname for their football team), then they sent him to Portland claiming there was a gun-toting uprising, (apparently 'uprising' was the name of the local professional paintball team), and most recently they'd sent him to Tokyo to stop a rampaging dinosaur-like monster, (which was apparently from some movie). Needless to say, Steve was less and less amused each time.

He ignored the call, but a few seconds later the same words flashed across the screen again.

"What is it this time?" he asked in annoyance as he took the call.

Fury paused, seemingly annoyed by the way he was greeted and debating whether or not to raise the issue. 

He seemed to decide against it as he stated, "Captain, suit up. Flying monkeys are attacking Kansas. You and your team need to get on site as soon as possible."

"Ah, see you made a mistake this time. I've seen _The Wizard of Oz_ ," Steve answered.

"What are you talking about? This time? Look, I know it's strange, but aliens attacked Manhattan through a portal opened by a Norse trickster god. Is this really that hard to believe? Get moving. Each moment you waste is another moment people are suffering," Fury said impatiently.

"You're really trying to sell this, aren't you Stark? But I've had enough of your tricks. Why don't you go bother someone else?" Steve scoffed.

"Stark?!? I am not Stark! Rogers, assemble the Avengers already and get moving. You are our response team," Fury huffed, his frustration growing.

"Not Stark, huh? I guess that means you must be Dr. Banner, but I really thought you would know when enough is enough," Steve scolded.

"Banner?!? What is going on Captain Rogers! Why are you refusing to do your job?!? You are endangering innocent civilian lives," the director yelled in his no-nonsense, exasperated tone.

Steve was slowly beginning to realize that the person on the other end of the line was, in fact, Director Fury.

"Wait, this is real isn't it? I'm sorry, sir. We'll get there just as quickly as we can," Steve said, suddenly all business.

"Thank you. Now do you mind telling me, have you lost your mind, Captain?!? What was all that about at the beginning?" 

"Stark has been playing tricks on me since I tried to keep him and Dr. Banner apart. He's impersonated you a few times, sir. I thought it was another trick."

"Wait. Stark and Banner are dating?!?"

"Yes sir."

"Why was I not informed?!?"

"The rest of the team felt that you might try to break them up if you knew about their relationship."

"You're damn right I'm going to break them up. Those two can't be together. It'll be disasterous." 

"With all due respect sir, I think it would be far worse to try to separate them. There's no telling what those two could do if they teamed together in anger. I think the world is far safer just letting them continue their relationship."

Fury sighed thinking of all the headaches the two geniuses had caused separately and deciding that the Captain was probably right. 

"Okay. I'll leave them be, but please just deal with the monkeys already," he replied wearily. Some days he didn't know what he was thinking when he put this group together.


End file.
